To agree with A. Ahmado...
Reader comment on item: How Central Is Muslim Anti-Semitism?
in response to reader comment: Jews and Islam

Submitted by John Sigler (United States), Dec 4, 2002 at 15:13

Contrary to the popular rhetoric regarding the "clash of civilizations" and the complete incompatibility of Islamic and Western values that has become so popular in the post-9/11 West, the simple fact of the matter is that this notion is untrue. While differences certainly exist and a degree of conflict between the strongly religious and the more secular inclined is inevitable in the Islamic world (just like it is everywhere else in the world and among most of the other major world relgions), in general pluralism in no more alien to Islamic culture than it is to Christian, or Jewish, or Hindu culture.

With regard to anti-Semitism in the Islamic world, they do have a anti-Semitic tradition, but it pales when compared to the Christian anti-Semitic tradition. That being said, much of the modern anti-Semitism to be found in the Islamic world, ranging from antiquated myths of "Jewish ritual murder" (in a Saudi paper about a year ago) to "modern" anti-Semitism (like the work of noted American white supremist ideologue David Duke that has been published in Yemen), is largely imported from the West and has no relation whatsoever to Islamic tradition. The "Radio Islam" website serves as a fine example of this type of Islamic adoption of Western anti-Semitism.

Like any society where Jewish people play a role, there will always be some anti-Semites in the Islamic world just as there are in every country in the Western world even today...

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